T-Bar pipeline completion ceremony ends with a drink of water

Joseph Basco

Published 4:07 pm, Friday, May 31, 2013

Representatives from every entity that contributed to the T-Bar Ranch water pipeline project drank the water they helped bring to the city.

Rather than a traditional ribbon cutting, three people integral to the project turned the valve to a pipe at Farm-to-Market Road 1788 on Friday morning to signify water has arrived in drought-ridden Midland.

Mayor Wes Perry, Midland County Fresh Water Supply District No. 1 President Jose Cuevas and, in a surprise appearance, former mayor Ed Magruder released the water into a 550-gallon tank that project General Manager Jay Edwards jokingly said was not part of the actual pipeline. Edwards then turned the spigot attached to the tank, releasing cool water into blue cups simply marked "T-Bar Midland, TX".

After raising their arms in the air, Perry, Cuevas and Magruder drank the T-Bar water, followed by others in attendance, who made comments to each other about its quality.

"I think the water tastes better than if you were to just run it off the fountain at home," Cuevas said. "I used to say it's no better or no worse, but I think it's better."

Edwards, one of the other public faces of the T-Bar project, told people before the ceremony that they made it to the end; his smile rarely left his face during the celebration.

"I feel relieved," Edwards said. "It's still just humbling, the whole thing, to think about it starting 50 years ago and being a part of that."

During the ceremony, Perry talked about the nearly 50-year history of the project. He revealed a photo of the 1965 City Council that he received from a family member of former mayor H. C. Avery Jr. Perry said the only surviving member in the photo was Magruder.

"This is a culmination of a project that started a long time ago," Magruder said. "It took a lot of people and a lot of time."

Although Friday marked the symbolic end to the longtime project, May 15 was the actual date the project was deemed "substantially completed," Edwards said. Regarding when the city will start using the T-Bar water, he said the district will meet with city officials on Monday. He said the city can start using T-Bar water now but probably won't need it yet because there is existing supply.

As they continued to celebrate and drink water, Magruder said after the event that the T-Bar water pipeline project was a miracle.